Giraud - Lot 3

Giraud JEAN GIRAUD BLUEBERRY Arizona Love (T.23), Alpen Publishers 1990 Original plate no. 18, from the script by Jean-Michel Charlier. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 37.7 × 47.7 cm (14.84 × 18.78 in.) This plate from Arizona Love demonstrates Jean Giraud and Jean-Michel Charlier's talent in the Blueberry series: a blend of narrative lightness and symbolic depth. Reunited, Blueberry and Chihuahua Pearl talk of a Californian tomorrow that would allow them to enjoy the booty. But Pearl only half-believes. Blueberry tries to disabuse her by showing her the fortune in his satchel. The tight framing, the knowing gestures and Pearl's smile convey both excitement and disbelief. When the suitcase opens to reveal a mountain of cash, Jean Giraud composes an image of false abundance: shadows invade the frames, looks freeze. The nervous, supple pen drawing underscores the ironic yet melancholy tone. For the reader knows that these bills are false - like the mirage of happiness they embody. This scene sums up Arizona Love: a comedy of disenchantment in which the cowboy loses his illusions about the insolently beautiful adventuress for good.